With the pitching injuries mounting, the Los Angeles Dodgers received a big shot in the arm from top pitching prospect Bobby Miller on Tuesday. Miller held the first place Atlanta Braves to one run in five innings in his MLB debut at Truist Park (GameTracker). He struck out five and hit 100 mph six times on the radar gun, and was electric throughout.

Atlanta tagged Miller for a first inning run on a Sean Murphy single and an Austin Riley double, but after that, the 24-year-old righty retired 12 of the final 16 batters he faced, including nine of the final 10. Sam Hilliard was Miller’s first career strikeout:

The Dodgers have turned to Miller — and also Gavin Stone, who made his second big-league start in Monday’s series opener — because their rotation has been decimated by injuries. Dustin May (flexor pronator) and Julio Urías (hamstring) were placed on the injured list recently, joining Walker Buehler (Tommy John surgery), Michael Grove (groin), and Ryan Pepiot (oblique).

“It’s a great opportunity for these young pitchers,” manager Dave Roberts told MLB.com recently. “They’re both talented. It’s not what we expected, but that really doesn’t matter. So, I think that the only way to look at it is, you’ve got to embrace this opportunity for these guys. And it’s up to all of us to make them feel comfortable and perform at a high level, because it shouldn’t be on Bobby … to carry the brunt.”

The Dodgers selected Miller with the No. 29 pick in the 2020 MLB draft and our R.J. Anderson ranked him the team’s No. 2 prospect entering the season. Here’s his write-up:

Another thing the Dodgers have consistently done is unearth gems late in the first round. Miller, the 29th pick in 2020 by way of Louisville, is in line to be the next one. He’s all but certain to make his big-league debut sometime in 2023 after appearing 24 times across the upper minors last season, accumulating a 4.25 ERA and a 3.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 112 innings. Miller has loud stuff, including a triple-digits fastball and a promising slider and changeup, and he’s taken well to a mechanical overhaul as a professional that truncated his arm stroke, among other changes. Last season helped ease concerns about his usage as a professional, too: he faced 20 or more batters in 15 games after he cleared that mark just once in 2021. The Dodgers have suffered a number of losses to their rotation this offseason, and Miller seems as likely as anyone to benefit next summer from that development. 

Miller had a 5.65 ERA in four Triple-A starts prior to his call up. His 95 pitches Tuesday were easily a season high — Miller threw 55, 54, 68, and 76 pitches in his four Triple-A outings.

Los Angeles entered play Tuesday in first place in the NL West with a 30-19 record.